Communities

The Anilawan Weaving Center

The Anilawan weaving center was first established in 2001 by a duo of innovative women, Marilou Gapuz and Esther Decierto. With an entrepreneurial spirit, these two women along with their families first started with piña extraction and knotting as their main source of production. In 2002, Marilou and Esther took part in a weaving seminar conducted by RSTF. This seminar introduced the possibility of expanding the Rurungan Centres and improving economic support for the families involved by not only extraction and knotting but also incorporating the hand weaving of piña fibers. Marilou and Esther became part of the multipurpose cooperative that the seminar organized. There she found out about the training for the weaving and she joined. Inspired by this new community, both Marilou and Esther invited two other women to the Anilawan center and provided training on how to hand weave piña fiber.

By 2007, the Anilawan weaving center grew to twenty women who extracted and knotted piña, along with ten women who specialized in weaving.

Other Centers Throughout Palawan

Since it was organized in 1999, the Rurungan established its main weaving and training center in the Poblacion of Puerto Princesa. Soon after and with the support of other stakeholders, El Nido Foundation and the Peace and Equity Foundation, Rurungan established other weaving centers in various Barangays (districts) throughout Palawan

Barangay San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City

Villa Libertad in the Municipality of El Nido in Northern Palawan with the El Nido Foundation

Barangay Magbabadil in the municipality of Aborlan in the south

Sitio Anilawan in Barangay Babuyan in Puerto Princesa City and the Barangay Council

Sitio Katumbal in Barangay Lucbuan, Puerto Princesa City

Barangay Macarascas in Puerto Princesa

Barangay Bahile in Puerto Princesa

Barangay San Manuel in Puerto Princesa

Barangay Sta. Lourdes in Puerto Princesa

Knotters and fiber production are ongoing in trained communities in the following Barangays.